The Oilers didn’t exactly run the Rangers out of the building, but they still walked away with a 3-1 win, and Devon Levi was the reason why. New York came in looking sharp and eager to erase the memory of Edmonton’s win at Madisen Square Garden eight days earlier, but Levi kept slamming the door.
He was the best player on the ice, and it wasn’t close. Edmonton spent long stretches getting pushed around, and without Levi, this probably turns into a loss instead of two points the Oilers may not have fully earned.
He finished with 28 saves on 29 shots and a .966 save percentage, giving him back-to-back starts of .913 or better. Since returning from injury, he’s looked like he never left.
The saves have been there, the confidence has been there, and the Oilers suddenly have a real story developing in goal.
Leon Draisaitl, meanwhile, is putting together one of those starts that should be getting more attention than it is. He’s up to 18 goals in 19 games, which puts him on pace for 79 over an 84-game season, and yet the spotlight keeps landing almost entirely on Connor McDavid. That’s fair to a point - McDavid has been going freak mode since September - but Draisaitl has been just as dangerous in his own way.
He scored the game-winner at 2:59 of the second period and added the empty-netter to finish the night. That gives him six goals in his last four games and 10 in his last 10.
It’s the kind of run that would normally have people buzzing about Hart and Rocket Richard trophies, except his linemate is doing his own supernova act. Even so, Draisaitl keeps piling up production, and the numbers are starting to look absurd.
Then there’s Jake Walman, whose situation keeps getting stranger. He was a healthy scratch for the fifth time in the last seven games, and that’s a rough place to be this early in a new deal.
He’s on a seven-year contract with a full no-move clause, which makes the whole thing even harder to sort out. The question now is simple: what do the Oilers do with a player they can’t seem to trust, but also can’t easily move?
That’s especially jarring because this wasn’t supposed to happen. Walman was excellent after arriving from San Jose and played a major role in Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.
He signed his extension in October of 2025, and at the time it looked like a smart bet. Instead, the start of this season has been ugly.
He has one point in 11 games, and the coach has clearly seen enough for now.
The Oilers are paying for the deal, and they’ll be living with the consequences for a long time unless Walman finds his game again. For now, though, the story is a messy one: Levi stealing wins, Draisaitl scoring at a ridiculous clip, and Walman stuck in the press box.
In Other News...
Connor Murphy Is Giving The Oilers Something They Desperately Need
Connor Murphy has carved out a very specific job for the Oilers this season, and it is the kind of role that does not always show up neatly in the numbers. Through the 2026-27 campaign, he has been leaned on for a physical, defense-first presence, taking tough defensive-zone assignments and giving Edmonton a steadier edge around its own net. Even with the traditional and advanced stats not exactly jumping off the page, his value has been tied to the little things that matter in tight games.
Recent matchups with the Canucks and Rangers offered a reminder of why the Oilers keep finding ways to use him. Murphys shot-blocking, willingness to clear traffic and general grit have stood out in moments when Edmonton needed a stop more than a highlight. It is the kind of impact analytics can struggle to fully capture, but the coaching staff and teammates can see it every night, and that sort of reliability is becoming increasingly important as the games get heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Fans Just Earned A Wild Online Reputation
A new social-media study has given Oilers fans an unexpected kind of bragging right, even if it is the sort that comes with a raised eyebrow. Action Network looked at more than 9.7 million Reddit comments across 205 professional sports team communities in 2026, measuring how often fans used profanity, and Edmonton came out on top in a field that stretched across multiple major leagues.
The results put the Oilers crowd in some familiar company, with other passionate fan bases from around the sports world showing up near the top as well. At the other end of the spectrum, the St. Louis Cardinals were identified as the most polite fan base, a reminder that not every online home for a team is built on the same level of intensity. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Their Recent Slide
The Maple Leafs recent slide already had plenty of people looking for answers, and now the injury report is adding another layer of concern. Colton Sissons is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, while Morgan Rielly is day-to-day after getting hurt in the loss to Montreal. Kirill Marchenko also remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury, leaving Toronto to juggle its lineup a little more than it would like at this point in the season.
Ryan Tverberg was recalled from the AHL as part of the roster shuffle, with Vinni Lettieri sent down, a move that at least gives Toronto another body as it tries to steady itself. Sergei Bobrovsky is scheduled to start in net for the upcoming game, but the bigger question for the Leafs is how long they can keep absorbing absences before the standings start to reflect the damage. [Read more 🡒]